Truss assembly machines having conventional gantry truss rollers are in common use in the truss industry. The wooden truss members are assembled on a table or other support surface with toothed connector plates partially embedded into the wooden truss members at the respective truss joints. A gantry roller press then rolls over the top of the truss to press the connector plates into the wooden truss members. A gantry roller press may include a single pressing roller positioned above the truss, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,084,498, or a pair of rollers respectively positioned above and below the truss, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,855,917.
After the pressing operation is complete, the assembled truss is discharged from the support table by a conveyor system positioned at one end of the support table or alongside thereof. If the gantry press is at a position between the assembled truss and the end of the support table at which the conveyor system is located, the gantry press must be moved toward the opposite end of the support table to allow the truss to be discharged from the support table. The time it takes to move the gantry press out of the way delays the discharge of the assembled truss, which in turn delays commencement of the next truss assembly operation. A significant loss of time and productivity occurs over the course of a working day.
Instead of discharging the assembled truss at one of the truss table, it is also known in the art to position the conveyor system alongside the truss table, so that the assembled truss can be discharged off the side of the truss table without the necessity of moving the gantry press. Positioning a conveyor system alongside the truss table saves time associated with moving the gantry press, but has the disadvantage of taking up valuable work space at the truss assembly site. The need therefore exists in the art for an improved and more efficient gantry roller press for assembling wooden trusses.